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FOLLOWING the deflation of a rubber gate at Bustos Dam on Thursday, Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando said on Sunday he wants all six rubber gates replaced by new ones in preparation for the coming rainy season.
Fernando said thousands of Bulacan residents will be affected if all six rubber gates break simultaneously during the rainy season.
"My stand here is to replace all the rubber gates. I don't want to end up in a worse scenario where all the gates simultaneously burst," said Fernando.
In a press briefing held at the Session Bar and Resto in Meycauayan City on Sunday, the governor called on the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), which has the control over Bustos Dam, to immediately act on his appeal.
"Please totally replace the substandard materials from Gate 1 to 6 with good materials. Choose quality materials. I'm appealing once again to our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to help us again, hopefully through him the concerned government agencies will listen to our appeal," said Fernando.
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"I think the NIA needs to take action, lives depend on it, let's not waste time because if the Bustos Dam bursts, it will cause severe flooding in a large part of the province," said Fernando.
In 2020, rubber gate No. 5 exploded but was not immediately replaced by a new one. Instead, a sheet pile was placed as a barrier.
In 2022, when Fernando took office as governor, he recommended replacing all six rubber gates but only the damaged rubber gate was replaced in 2024.
On Thursday, rubber gate No. 3 deflated and more than 2 meters of water spilled over from Bustos Dam.
"Luckily, it did not cause flooding in nearby areas," Vice Gov. Alex Castro said.
Castro said that concerned agencies should be proactive regarding the condition of Bustos Dam, saying that immediate action should be taken to replace not only rubber gate No. 3 but all rubber gates.
"The provincial government has been requesting for a long time that all rubber gates be replaced as soon as possible and that NIA and the contractor should not wait for something worse to happen before they take action," Castro said.
The damaged rubber gate was again replaced with a sheet pile.
